Box office revenues in the United States dropped 6% to $8.99 billion last year compared to 2004. The worldwide market fell 7.9% to $23.24 billion from a 2004 all-time high, the Motion Picture Association of America said Thursday.

The government announced a crackdown Wednesday on the theft of movies and other copyright materials. Federal agents shut down a Web site that they said allowed people to download the new Stars War movie even before it was shown in theaters.

Federal authorities on Wednesday shut down online file-sharing network Elite Torrents which had the new Star Wars movie, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, before it was shown in theaters. The network provided the movie six hours before its first showing in theaters and was downloaded more than 10,000 times in the first 24 hours.

Fledgling technology that helps parents prevent children from watching movie scenes depicting sex, violence or foul language won legal protection on copyright issues Tuesday under The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, a bill Congress is sending to President Bush.

While headlines herald the box-office dominance of "family films" and marvel at the new muscle of anti-indecency crusaders in the TV business, few parents feel reassured by current offerings from the entertainment industry. In the midst of ongoing debate about media standards, the general public seems unable to decide whether we should fear too much censorship or too little.

For the first time in two decades, PG-rated films outperformed R-rated films in theaters, even though Hollywood cranks out many more movies aimed at adults. Last year, PG-rated films took in $2.3 billion in U.S. ticket sales, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.